The intensity and duration of exercise are major regulators of metabolism, and carbohydrate oxidation, in particular skeletal muscles glycogen, becomes increasingly important as the exercise intensity rises above 60 % of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). During maximal effort exercise, like 30 seconds of “all-out” cycling (Wingate test), about 25 % of the skeletal muscles glycogen stores can be degraded, mainly anaerobically. Cycling at intensities above 80 % of VO2max causes fatigue before the glycogen stores are depleted in the active muscles. The largest glycogen depletion occurs at intensities of about 70-75 % of VO2max, where about 75-85 % of skeletal muscle glycogen is utilized. The translation from exercise to recovery also depends on the nutritional state prior to exercise as well as intensity and duration of the exercise. The glycogen at the end of the exercise also influences the switch from exercise to recovery, and influences the signalling mechanism activated when translation from exercise to recovery occurs. Short-term high-intensity exercise has minimal effect on AMPK activation, but ACC phosphorylation is increased which may contribute to increase fat oxidation and glycogen storage. Prolonged exercise at 70-75 % of VO2max until exhaustion activates AMPK, glycogen synthase (GS) and a number of other signalling pathways. In the recovery period, fat oxidation is completely dominating during the first 2 h after exhausting exercise unless carbohydrate is ingested. We also see that GS phosphorylation is reduced (activating GS) after exhausting exercise, which prepares muscles for repletion of glycogen stores. Interestingly, the exercise-induced activation of GS seems to remain dephosphorylated 5 h after exercise despite a major part of glycogen is resynthesised and to some degree to disintegrate the close relationship between glycogen content and GS fractional activity, which may contribute stimulate glycogen synthesis above normal level. Recovery of performance requires also protein synthesis. Intake of protein immediately after endurance exercise stimulates protein synthesis and increases resting metabolic rate. Exhaustive exercise also stimulates substantial amount of nitrogen excretion. Protein additional to carbohydrate immediately after exhaustive exercise regulates the mechanisms acting in the translation from exhaustive exercise to recovery.